Short Response Time Research Articles

Hammerhead Shark‐Inspired Microvillus‐Structured Ionic Elastomers for Wet Gas Sensing Based on Solvated Ion Transport

AbstractWater molecules are ubiquitous disruptors of conventional gas sensing materials, often leading to diminished sensing performance in materials that are reliant on electronic signal transmission. This creates the pressing need for efficient gas sensing materials with anti‐humidity interference properties. Here, a hammerhead shark‐inspired microvillus‐structured ionic elastomer based on ionic signal transmission in nanoconfined space is constructed by incorporating ionic liquids into a polymer matrix. The ionic elastomers with optimized microvillus structure demonstrated a 1.68‐fold higher response than that of the flat ones, short response time (9 s) toward 30 ppm triethylamine (TEA), excellent selectivity and low limit of detection (LOD) (104.56 ppb). Such sensing performance serves as a proof‐of‐concept for effectively combining solvated ion transport in nanoconfined space with microvillus structure design to develop advanced sensing systems. With such sensing materials, an evident response (23.52%), a similar response time (12 s), low LOD (498.05 ppb), and long‐term stability (at least 30 days) are achieved at the relative humidity of 70%. Mechanistic investigations revealed that effective transport of solvated ions is facilitated after sequential water and TEA surroundings while the microvillus structure significantly enhanced gas transport. Furthermore, the utility of such a sensing system is demonstrated in shrimp decay monitoring under wet conditions.

The dynamics of initiation in caregiver-child conversational interactions.

We investigated the dynamics of communicative initiation in infant-caregiver interactions across ages and language abilities. Analyses of 228 Language ENvironment Analysis (LENA) recordings from 141 Korean adult-child dyads (60 girls; aged 7-30 months) replicated the initiator effect reported in North American populations. This effect, demonstrated by longer utterances, more frequent speech, and shorter response times in self-initiated interactions for both children and adults, suggests potential cross-cultural consistency in this conversational dynamic and remained consistent across ages in most conversational measures. A focused analysis of 13-14 month-olds (N = 40) and their K-CDI scores revealed that the initiator effect in segment duration and number persisted across most vocabulary percentiles. Additionally, nuanced findings indicated that caregivers increased their input frequency and adjusted segment duration in adult-initiated conversations in tandem with children's higher receptive abilities. The robustness of the initiator role across cultures, ages, and vocabulary abilities points to a fundamental aspect of human communication.

A new fluorescent probe with large Stokes shift for selective and sensitive detection of arginine

The development of fluorescent probes for prompt and accurate arginine (Arg) detection with high selectivity and sensitivity is in great demand due to the critical roles and implications of Arg for health. In this paper, a new coumarin-derived fluorescent probe, CL, was designed and synthesized. It was efficient for the rapid and specific detection of Arg in MeCN/H2O (6:4, v/v), with a low detection limit of 0.78 μM and a short response time of less than 10 s. Probe CL was stable at pH 3–10 and exhibited excellent anti-interference from competitive amino acids, including lysine, histidine, cysteine, homocysteine, glutathione, glycine, glutamic acid, valine, tyrosine, tryptophan, leucine, phenylalanine, aspartic acid and methionine. Density-functional theory (DFT) calculations investigated and verified the sensing mechanism. Considering that probe CL features multiple advantages, including high specificity, emission at a long wavelength of 642 nm with a massive Stokes shift of 272 nm, fast response and a broadly applicable pH range, this study provides a new idea for the development of susceptible and selective detection method for Arg.

A HIGHLY SENSITIVE MOISTURE-RESISTANT BTEX SENSOR BASED ON POLYANILINE NANOFIBERS

The real-time sensing of benzene, toluene, ethylbenzene, and xylene (BTEX) vapor has become urgent due to their widespread hazards. As a sensing platform that combines low energy consumption and high sensitivity, moisture-resistant detection of ppb-level BTEX vapor remains a challenge for quartz crystal microbalance (QCM) based gas sensors. In this work, we employed polyaniline nanofibers as the sensing material, significantly enhancing the QCM sensor’s detection capability for BTEX vapor down to the 50 ppb level. Besides, thanks to the hydrophobicity of polyaniline nanofibers, this sensor shows minimal response fluctuations to BTEX vapor in the relative humidity range of 50-90%. Furthermore, this sensor exhibits a short response time and excellent long-term stability, thereby presenting a broad prospect for future industrial applications in BTEX vapor detection.

Sustainable Conversion of Corncob Biomass Waste into High Performance Carbon Materials for Detection of VOCs at Room Temperature.

The demand for reliable, cost-effective, room temperature gas sensors with high sensitivity, selectivity, and short response times is rising, particularly for environmental monitoring, biomedicine, and agriculture. In this study, corncob waste-derived activated carbon (ACC) was combined with CuO nanoparticles and polyvinyl alcohol (PVA) to fabricate ACC/PVA/CuO composites with CuO loadings of 5, 10, and 15 wt.%. The CuO nanoparticles (average size: 21.79 ± 9.88 nm) were successfully incorporated into the ACC matrix, as confirmed by TEM, XRD, and N2 adsorption-desorption analyses. Increasing CuO content reduced the specific surface area due to pore blockage but enhanced the composites' ethanol sensing performance. The ACC/PVA/CuO (15 wt.%) sensor exhibited the highest response and fastest recovery times (125 s and 130 s, respectively, at 100 ppm ethanol), outperforming other composites and pristine ACC. This improvement was attributed to surface defects and increased active sites promoting vapor adsorption and diffusion. These results demonstrate the potential of ACC/PVA/CuO as an effective ethanol sensor at room temperature.

The Development of an Input Protective Circuit of the Radio Frequency (RF) Path of the High Frequency (HF) Band Receiver

The article presents the results of the input protection circuitdevelopment, the main purpose of which is to limit the signals of high-power entering the HF receiverRF path on the antenna input. The input protection circuit protects the sensitive components and elements of the receiver from overload and failure.The need to ensure the reliability and safety of complex communication systems and complexes is only increasing every year.The relevance of input circuitprotection may occur at small separation of the receiver and the source of interference, under the conditions of electronic warfare. The principle of the developed circuit is based on the relay switchcontrol.The method for selecting the parameters of circuitcomponents is described.The practicalprototype tests of the input protection circuit were carried out, being installed at the input of the manufactured HF band receiver. During the practical experiment, shortcomings were identified that were not revealed in the simulation model built in the NI Multisim environment.In particular, it is a local heating of the two components on the printed circuit board, caused primarily by capacitive resistance and weak filter attenuation introduced within the range of 23…30 MHz. Theways to improve the existing protection circuit are noted. An important feature of the circuit is that after minor modification of the input detector contour, the developed circuit can be used at VHF frequencies, up to 520 MHz.The advantages of the scheme should also include a short response time - 1.27 ms, insertion attenuation - less than 0.01 dBm. The product remains operational after applying a sinusoidal RF signal on the antenna input for 15 minutes with an EMF of 100V in the operating frequency range.

Silk Fibroin Hydrogel for Pulse Waveform Precise and Continuous Perception.

Precise and continuous monitoring of blood pressure and cardiac function is of great importance for early diagnosis and timely treatment of cardiovascular diseases. The common tests rely on on-site diagnosis and bulky equipments, hindering early diagnosis. The emerging hydrogels have gained considerable attention in skin bioelectronics by virtue of the similarities to biological tissues and versatility in mechanical, electrical, and biofunctional engineering. However, hydrogels should overcome intrinsic issues such as poor mechanical strength, easy dehydration and freezing, weak adhesiveness and self-recovery, severely limiting their precision and reliability in practical applications. Here, silk fibroin hydrogels are developed as resistive sensors for pulse waveform monitoring. The silk fibroin hydrogel is simultaneously transparent, extremely stretchable, extra tough, adhesive, printable, and environmentally endurable. The silk fibroin hydrogel is also conductive with high sensitivity, short self-healing time, highly repeatable and reliable response, meeting the requirements for wearable sensors for continuous monitoring. The sensors with silk fibroin hydrogel present high-quality and stable waveforms of radical and brachial pulses with high precision and rich features, providing physiological signals of blood pressure and cardiac function. The sensors are promising for personalized health management, daily monitoring and timely diagnosis.

Flexible Piezoresistive Film Pressure Sensor Based on Double-Sided Microstructure Sensing Layer.

Flexible thin-film pressure sensors have garnered significant attention due to their applications in industrial inspection and human-computer interactions. However, due to their ultra-thin structure, these sensors often exhibit lower performance, including a narrow pressure response range and low sensitivity, which constrains their further application. The most commonly used microstructure fabrication methods are challenging to apply to ultra-thin functional layers and may compromise the structural stability of the sensors. In this study, we present a novel design of a film pressure sensor with a double-sided microstructure sensing layer by adopting the template method. By incorporating the double-sided microstructures, the proposed thin-film pressure sensor can simultaneously achieve a high sensitivity value of 5.5 kPa-1 and a wide range of 140 kPa, while maintaining a short response time of 120 ms and a low detection limit. This flexible film pressure sensor demonstrates considerable potential for distributed pressure sensing and industrial pressure monitoring applications.

Fire Detection And Extinguishing System

Advanced detection and suppression systems are imperative for early intervention in various environments where fire incidents pose significant risks. A comprehensive fire detection and extinguishing system that uses computer vision and image processing techniques to address important fire safety issues is presented in this project. Using an SSD-MobileNet-v2-FPNLite object detection model to analyze video feeds, the system uses a webcam to detect fires in real-time. The system acts quickly minimizes damage and possible loss by automatically initiating a suppression mechanism upon detecting fire. With automated detection, suppression, and improved situational awareness, integrating advanced technologies facilitates proactive fire management. To ensure the system's usefulness, effectiveness and feasibility analysis considers technical, operational, and financial factors. An incremental development model is used, with a focus on feedback integration and continuous improvement. This emphasizes continuous improvement through the integration of feedback. Metrics from the performance evaluation show how well the system detects fire incidents and launches suppression actions promptly, on time. This offers a significant advancement in automated fire management by demonstrating the potential of using cutting-edge image processing and machine learning techniques to address fire safety issues. This system is a significant advancement in fire safety technology that may shorten response times and lessen the effects of fires in a various context.

Synthetic Jet Actuators for Active Flow Control: A Review

A synthetic jet actuator (SJA) is a fluidic device often consisting of a vibrating diaphragm that alters the volume of a cavity to produce a synthesized jet through an orifice. The cyclic ingestion and expulsion of the working fluid leads to a zero-net mass-flux and the transfer of linear momentum to the working fluid over an actuation cycle, leaving a train of vortex structures propagating away from the orifice. SJAs are a promising technology for flow control applications due to their unique features, such as no external fluid supply or ducting requirements, short response time, low weight, and compactness. Hence, they have been the focus of many research studies over the past few decades. Despite these advantages, implementing an effective control scheme using SJAs is quite challenging due to the large parameter space involving several geometrical and operational variables. This article aims to explain the working mechanism of SJAs and provide a comprehensive review of the effects of SJA design parameters in quiescent conditions and cross-flow.

T-cell-based therapies for treating relapsed or refractory mantle cell lymphoma.

While targeted therapies such as Bruton's tyrosine kinase and BCL2 inhibitors have fundamentally changed the treatment of mantle cell lymphoma (MCL), not all patients respond to these therapies, and responses are finite and can be fleeting, especially with high-risk MCL. As patients progress through successive therapies, the clinical course is characterized by shortening response times,1 frequent disease acceleration, and limited survival outcomes. Recently, the sensitivity of MCL to novel immune-based therapies is being realized with favorable results, as chimeric antigen receptor-modified T cells and bispecific T-cell-engaging antibodies are being investigated and implemented into practice for patients. However, critical issues remain to understand the role of these agents in routine practice. In this review, we discuss the current landscape regarding these agents, examine our approach to incorporating them into practice, and consider unanswered questions that we must ultimately address to improve outcomes for patients.

Epidemiological characteristics and influencing factors of public health emergency events of varicella in the Beijing-Tianjin-Hebei region, 2006-2021

To explore the epidemiological characteristics of public health emergency events (PHEE) of varicella in the Beijing-Tianjin-Hebei region and analyze its related influencing factors. Excel was used to organize the varicella data in the Beijing-Tianjin-Hebei region from 2006 to 2021, reported by the management information system of PHEE, to describe the epidemiological characteristics of varicella events. Spatial autocorrelation and spatial scanning methods were used to test and determine its spatial clusters. Geographic detectors were used to analyze the impact of socio-economic factors. From 2006 to 2021, there were 644 reported varicella events in the Beijing-Tianjin-Hebei region, with a total of 18 052 cases and an incidence rate of 2.78%. The number, duration and response time M (Q1, Q3) of each reported event were 22 (15, 35) cases, 19 (7, 34) days and 7 (4, 17) days, respectively. Hebei Province had a shorter response time and duration of events compared to Beijing and Tianjin. The most reported varicella events were in 2006 and 2007, with 112 and 106 events, respectively. By 2014, the number of events had decreased yearly, and there was a small peak from 2017 to 2019 between 2014 and 2021. From 2006 to 2021, the PHEE of varicella showed a seasonal bimodal distribution from March to June and from October to January of the following year, with peaks in May and December. There was a total of 500 reported varicella events in primary schools, including 218 events in rural primary schools (34%), 142 events in county and town primary schools (22%) and 140 events in urban primary schools (22%). The distribution of varicella events showed a positive spatial autocorrelation and strong spatial clustering, with Moran's I of 0.31. The Class 1 clustering area was centered in Kuancheng Manchu Autonomous County, Chengde City, with a radius of 207 km and included 58 districts (LLR=3 550.23, RR=3.78). The most explanatory factor among socio-economic factors was the proportion of the population aged 0-24 years old (q=0.22), and the interaction effect between each factor was stronger than the independent effect. Overall, there are differences in the level of handling varicella events across Beijing, Tianjin and Hebei. The main occurrence of varicella events is in primary schools, especially in rural areas. Varicella events exhibit spatial clustering. Population structure-related factors have a strong impact on the risk of the incidence of varicella events.

Phoenix Dactylifera Hydrochar as a Green Modification Material Based on Glassy Carbon Electrodes for the Detection of Methylene Blue

A novel electrochemically sensitive sensor has been developed based on Hydrochar derived from Phoenix dactylifera was prepared for the detection of Methylene Blue (MB). These hydrochar (HC) have been used for the modification of the glassy carbon electrode (GCE). This electrode was characterized by scanning electron microscopy (SEM). The electrochemical properties of MB in the modified electrode (HC/GCE) were studied by square-wave voltammetry (SWV) and cyclic voltammetry (CV) under optimized conditions. Owing to a synergistic effect, the HC/GCE exhibited an obvious electrocatalytic effect on positively charged MB. The influence of experimental variables (accumulation time, supporting electrolyte, pH) was studied. Under optimized conditions, the constructed sensor illustrated a linear voltammetric curve for the MB in the concentration interval from 10-4M to 10-10M, with a detection limit of 0.2nM. A study of the effect of interference on sensor functionality was carried out, as well as an analysis of MB recovery in real wastewater samples. The modified electrode offers numerous advantages, including easy preparation, low detection limit, high sensitivity, good repeatability, short response time and an effective detection platform for MB in wastewater.

Low Concentration C2H2 Detection by NiO/SnO2 Nanostructured Heterojunction Based MEMS Sensor

Abstract Low concentration detection and analysis of dissolved characteristic gas Acetylene (C2H2) in oil is one of the effective methods for power transformer condition maintenance to ensure safety. The MEMS gas sensor based on the nanostructured material has become a research hotpot for detecting the C2H2. In this work, SnO2 and NiO thin films were successively deposited by RF sputtering, followed by annealing at different temperatures to prepare NiO/SnO2 heterostructures, and the C2H2 sensor chips were prepared by MEMS (microelectromechanical systems) compatible process by using the SnO2/NiO thin films as sensitive materials. The results showed that the detection limit of the MEMS sensor based on the NiO/SnO2 (NiO/SnO2-2) film annealed at 450℃ was as low as 0.2×10-6 toward C2H2. The sensor exhibits a high response at 260℃ (S=7.9 toward 1.4×10-6 C2H2), which is about 4.5 times that of pure SnO2(1.8). Meanwhile, it has an extremely short response time (13 s and 19 s). This study reveals that dissolved acetylene gas in transformer oil can be detected more efficiently by the sensor with nanostructured heterojunctions as sensitive materials.

Study Protocol of the HERLIFE Study Based on CHERRIES: Study of Health, Employment, Resilience, and the Life of Females.

Women's health issues, including menstruation, childbirth, and menopause, significantly impact work performance and career progression, and pose physical and mental burdens on women. Despite their importance, research on how these events and conditions affect women's quality of life and health in the workplace is limited. This study explores the relationship between living environment, health status, work factors, and the health and work performance of working women. It focuses on menstruation-associated symptoms (dysmenorrhea, PMS) and menopausal symptoms and their impact on working QOL and health. A cross-sectional study was conducted on the Internet from June 6 to 12, 2024 among working women in Japan aged 20-60. The sample came from a closed survey of panel monitors from a company commissioned to conduct the survey. Screening included gender, age, hours worked, place of residence, and type of work, with participants being women aged 20-60 and working at least 30 hours per week. Of 31,965 participants, 4,245 were excluded for reasons such as short response time, marital status inconsistencies, childcare inconsistencies, undergoing infertility treatment at age 55 or older, and incorrect responses, resulting in 27,720 participants. The survey consisted of 139 questions and was conducted on a relatively homogeneous sample across all strata. Understanding the impact of menstruation-related symptoms on labor productivity and enhancing knowledge of women's health can lead to a better healthcare system and improved business performance. This study aimed to generate evidence to support these goals.

A thermal insulation microactuator for Braille display using paraffin wax/carbon nanotube composite with induction heating

A new thermal insulation microactuator for Braille display using a phase change material (PCM) composite with induction heating is proposed. The PCM composite is prepared by fully mixing paraffin with multi-walled carbon nanotubes (MWCNTs), which is mainly used as both electrically and thermally conductive enhancer. As a result of that, the PCM composite is conductive and a wireless induction heating can be realized with the paraffin composite, which avoids the connection of wires from the inner chamber with a relatively simple fabrication process. In order to prevent the penetration of the paraffin from the elastic film, a solvent-resistant TPU diaphragm is adopted to seal the PCM chamber. In addition, thermal insulation between the higher temperature of PCM and the finger contact is designed by adding the PDMS diaphragm with PDMS pins. When the input power is 1.29[Formula: see text]W at AC frequency of 1[Formula: see text]kHz, the actuation height of the Braille dot reaches 259[Formula: see text][Formula: see text]m within 7[Formula: see text]s. The microactuator for Braille display presented in this paper has the advantages of short response time, thermal isolation, simple fabrication, small size and low cost.

MOF-derived Ag0.16/In1.95Pr0.05O3 sensors with ultra-high sensitivity, quick response and excellent selectivity to formaldehyde gas

In1.95Pr0.05O3 microtubes are derived from MIL-68, and then Ag nanoparticles are anchored to synthesize Ag0.16/In1.95Pr0.05O3 microtubes. All results indicate that Pr-doping and Ag-loading greatly affect the gas-sensing performance of In2O3 sensor, which In1.95Pr0.05O3 and Ag0.16/In2O3 sensors both exhibit the response value exceeding 900. While Ag0.16/In1.95Pr0.05O3 sensor exhibits the highest response value of 2438.67 to 10 ppm formaldehyde gas, which is about 20 times higher than that of In2O3 sensor (122.59). Furthermore, Ag0.16/In1.95Pr0.05O3 sensor also displays the lower operating temperature (200 °C), shorter response time (12 s), excellent long-term stability, high selectivity, and anti-humidity for formaldehyde gas. According to DFT methods, the adsorption energies of In2O3, In1.95Pr0.05O3, and Ag0.16/In1.95Pr0.05O3 sensors for formaldehyde are calculated to be −0.47 eV, −0.63 eV, and −0.94 eV, respectively. These highly-improved gas-sensing properties are due to the synergistic effect of Pr-doping and Ag-loading, which includes the increased surface oxygen from Pr-doping, the electronic and chemical sensitization from Ag nanoparticles. The gas-sensing mechanism of Ag0.16/In1.95Pr0.05O3 sensor provides an effective strategy to achieve an excellent gas sensor for formaldehyde gas.

Engineering Nickel(II) Porphyrin-Conjugated Polymers with Different Aryl meso-Substituents for n-Type and p-Type Ammonia Sensors.

Conjugated polymers have revolutionized the field of conductometric gas sensors for sensing toxic gases arising from the fast urbanization and industrialization. In this work, we report the synthesis of a series of 5,15-diaryl Ni(II) porphyrin-conjugated polymers (pNiD(Aryl)P) and their integration as the top layer on an octafluorinated copper phthalocyanine (CuF8Pc) sublayer to construct bilayer heterojunction (BLH) devices for ammonia sensing. For the first time, we report the pioneering demonstration of polarity engineering within a BLH device by manipulating the meso-substituent of the 5,15-diaryl Ni(II) porphyrin-conjugated polymer constituting the top layer of the CuF8Pc/pNiD(Aryl)P BLH device. The BLH devices prepared from the 5,15-diaryl Ni(II) porphyrin-conjugated polymer bearing electron-donating meso-substituents as the top layer exhibit a p-type behavior, whereas an n-type behavior is observed for the BLH devices prepared from the 5,15-diaryl Ni(II) porphyrin-conjugated polymer bearing electron-withdrawing meso-substituents. Laser desorption ionization high-resolution mass spectrometry, UV/vis/NIR, and X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy studies provide evidence of a decrease in intramolecular dehydrogenative coupling in pNiD(Aryl)P bearing electron-withdrawing meso-substituents, resulting in low electrical conductivity of the thin films. Density functional theory calculations reveal noninvolvement of electron-withdrawing meso-substituents toward π-delocalization in the fused Ni(II) porphyrin tapes. Interestingly, all the CuF8Pc/pNiD(Aryl)P BLH devices exhibit remarkable sensing response toward NH3. Among all the devices, CuF8Pc/pNiDPP displays the highest sensitivity of -1.17% ppm-1 for NH3, whereas CuF8Pc/pNiDNapP and CuF8Pc/pNiDCNPP exhibit the best limit of detection for NH3, below 200 ppb. In addition, CuF8Pc/pNiDCNPP shows short response and recovery times of 13 and 255 s, respectively, making this device highly suitable for deployment in emergency services.

AC Magnetometry Using Nano-ferrofluid Cladded Multimode Interferometric Fiber Optic Sensors for Power Grid Monitoring Applications.

The AC magnetic field response of the superparamagnetic nano-ferrofluid is an interplay between the Neel and Brownian relaxation processes and is generally quantified via the susceptibility measurements at high frequencies. The high frequency limit is dictated by these relaxation times which need to be shorter than the time scale of the time varying magnetic field for the nano-ferrofluid to be considered in an equilibrium state at each time instant. Even though the high frequency response of ferrofluid has been extensively investigated for frequencies up to GHz range by non-optical methods, harnessing dynamic response by optical means for AC magnetic field sensing in fiber-optic-based sensors-field remains unexplored. Instead, the incorporation of nano-ferrofluid as sensing materials has been only limited to DC magnetic field sensing, often citing their long response time as a limiting factor to AC field sensing. This work reports the finding of high frequency (up to 15 kHz) AC magnetic field sensing capability of nanomagnetic fluid as the cladding material of a fiber-optic multimode interferometry (MMI) structure optimized for the fourth self-imaging spectral response. The key parameter enabling high frequency response is the short response time (<1 ms) achieved by optimizing both the sensing structure and nano-ferrofluid solution. Focus has been imparted on 60 Hz line-frequency profiles of various current/magnetic fields to test the efficacy of these sensors in metering and monitoring current and current-induced magnetic fields in the electrical power grid systems. The magnetic field sensitivity of 240 mV/Gauss per dBm of transmitted power was achieved for 60 Hz field applied via Helmholtz coil, whereas the 60 Hz AC current sensitivity of 2.83 mV/A was measured due to magnetic field induced by current in a straight conducting wire.

Preparation of Spherical Hollow Particles from Polyaniline Derivatives and Their Use in Ammonia Gas Sensing Materials

The ammonia gas sensing properties of polyaniline (PANI) derivatives with different substituents were investigated. By introducing a bulky substituent into PANI, the π-π stacking was reduced, making it easier for ammonia molecules to approach the reaction sites. In addition, hollow spherical particles of polyaniline derivatives were prepared by optimizing the polymerization conditions. The use of hollow spherical particles as sensing materials resulted in a shorter response time and improved reversibility. There are two possible reasons for this improvement. First, by making the spherical particles micrometer-sized, many voids were created in the sensing film. In addition, by making the spherical particles hollow, gas molecules were able to approach the reaction sites from both the outside and the inside of the particles. Figure 1